Does anyone know how to find a legitimate tax preparer who won't charge an arm and a leg for amendment help? The fact that their original preparer refuses to help fix their mistake is making my blood boil!

As someone who works in financial aid administration, I want to emphasize how critical timing is here. While the amendment process can take several weeks to fully complete with the IRS, most financial aid offices will accept proof that you've submitted the amendment (like a copy of the 1040-X forms or certified mail receipt) to move forward with FAFSA processing. Make sure to contact your student's college financial aid office immediately once you submit the amendments - don't wait for IRS processing to complete. Explain the situation and ask what documentation they need to verify the corrected filing status. Many schools have procedures for exactly this type of situation since HOH filing errors are unfortunately common. Also, keep detailed records of everything - the original incorrect returns, all amendment paperwork, submission confirmations, and any correspondence with the IRS. This documentation trail will be invaluable if there are any questions down the road from either the IRS or the school's financial aid office.

When you file the amended return with Form 8936, be prepared to wait much longer than usual for your refund. I amended for the EV credit back in February and still waiting. The IRS website still shows "received" as the status. 😤

I'm in a very similar situation! Just realized I forgot to claim the EV credit for my Model Y purchased in August 2023. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful - sounds like I definitely need to file Form 1040-X with Form 8936. Quick question for everyone who's been through this process: How long did it actually take from mailing your amended return to getting the refund? I'm seeing conflicting timeframes here - some saying 16 weeks, others still waiting since February. Also, did anyone try e-filing the amendment or is mail the only option for this situation? Thanks for all the detailed info, especially about checking VIN eligibility and the various tools mentioned. This community is awesome!

Quick question about all this - I'm just a dog walker who files Schedule C. My tax software is showing an option for "paying myself" - should I just ignore that completely and stick to owner draws?

This situation is unfortunately more common than it should be. I've seen several cases where tax preparers set up sole proprietors with payroll systems, often because they're using generic business software that assumes corporate structures. The $275 fee is definitely a red flag - proper business tax preparation requires understanding entity structures, and competent preparers charge appropriately for that expertise. Your instincts are absolutely correct here. Beyond the immediate tax issues others have mentioned, there's also a compliance nightmare brewing. If your client is running payroll, they're likely supposed to be filing quarterly 941 forms, making federal tax deposits, potentially dealing with state payroll requirements, etc. All of this creates unnecessary administrative burden and potential penalties for a structure that shouldn't exist. I'd strongly recommend your client consult with a qualified tax professional (CPA or EA) to clean this up. They'll need to decide whether to amend previous returns or just correct going forward, depending on the amounts involved and audit risk tolerance. The sooner this gets fixed, the better - especially before any IRS correspondence arrives. Your recommendation about either taking proper draws or electing S-Corp status is spot-on. The client needs to pick a lane and do it correctly.

Don't forget podcasts as a supplement to books! "Planet Money" by NPR has several excellent episodes on taxation that might help spark your interest before diving into heavier books. Their episodes "Tax Hero" and "Paying for the Crime" are particularly good introductions to tax concepts. There's also the "Taxology" podcast which is surprisingly entertaining despite focusing exclusively on tax history and policy. I've found listening to these while commuting helps build background knowledge that makes the books easier to understand.

As someone who also struggled with the dry nature of tax topics, I found that starting with "The Power to Destroy: How the Antitax Movement Hijacked America" by Michael Graetz really opened my eyes to how taxation connects to broader American political culture. It reads more like political history than a tax book, but gave me the conceptual framework that made everything else click. Another approach that worked for me was reading "The Hidden Wealth of Nations" by Gabriel Zucman alongside some of the books mentioned here. It's about tax avoidance and offshore banking, but understanding how the wealthy navigate (or circumvent) the tax system actually helped me better appreciate why certain rules exist for regular taxpayers like us. One thing I'd suggest is not trying to tackle too many dense books at once. I made that mistake initially and got overwhelmed. Pick one that sounds most interesting based on the recommendations here, read it thoroughly, then move to the next. The context from each book builds on the others in ways that aren't obvious at first.